Wading In

Illegal immigration: Solved By Kelvin Wade May 27, 2010 Arizona has touched off a fiery debate on illegal immigration since the passage of SB1070 that requires police officers to inquire about immigration status for suspected illegals during police contacts with the public. But what are we really going to do about this persistent problem? Despite opponents of the law claiming it invites racial profiling, polling shows that 6 in 10 Americans support Arizona's immigration law. People are frustrated with the federal government's inaction on border control. Wanting a secure borders and expecting immigrants to play by the rules set up for entrance to this country certainly doesn't make one a racist. Not only is there a threat from potential terrorists, there is drug smuggling and criminals who pass our borders. It stretches already thin education dollars and hospital services. Remember H1N1 last year? There is the potential for those entering the country to bring disease. Plus, ...

Victuals by Kelvin J. Wade Rooster Fallow had been driving for hours. His red 1970, 426 Hemi-powered Plymouth 'Cuda streaked down the searing hot blacktop. The two lane road split the desert on either side. Nothing but hot sands, tumbleweeds, cacti and distant rock formations. He'd left L.A., streaked through Arizona and was now charging through New Mexico, the engine banging away, eating up the miles. The fat orange mid-afternoon sun hung hot in the sky scorching the desert earth below. He had to get out of dodge. He hadn't expected the argument with his girlfriend to get physical. He didn't even remember what they were arguing about. The only thing he recalled after slapping her across the face was the sizzling pain of hot scrambled eggs that a second ago were in a skillet and then they were suddenly dripping down his neck. He'd pounced at her as she tried to run and slammed her head against the wall. When she crumpled to the floor, he added a swif...

Smile, you're on a candid camera By Kelvin Wade May 20, 201 0 'It always feels like somebody's watching me,' one-hit wonder Rockwell sang in the 1980s. Soon more Fairfielders will get that feeling with the addition of more surveillance cameras thanks to federal grants. We already have cameras on streets and parks, so why not expand the operation in the hopes of getting more bad guys to say cheese? There's no question that security cameras in business parking lots have been helpful throughout the country in tracking down suspects. With the recent tragic abduction and murder of Phuong Le locally, the usefulness of multiple security cameras in public places seems obvious. It was a security camera that helped break the Westside Burglar case. The camera from a local business caught the suspect accessing a motel on Holiday Lane through a hole in a fence. The Westside Burglar case presses the argument that neighborhoods are a great place to have cameras. Cameras in the rig...

We need to stop the tragedies By Kelvin Wade May 13, 2010 This week my brother Tony wrote about the awful day, Mother's Day, May 13, 1990, when our older brother Ken murdered his girlfriend and killed himself. After that nightmarish day, I attended support groups with my mother. We sought out the Compassionate Friends locally, Friends for Survival in Sacramento and a group in Davis. Finally, I helped start the Bay Area Survivors of Suicide in Solano County. I worked through my own pain and assisted others. In 1998 we folded the local group into the national Survivors of Suicide organization. While I felt good about our group, there was always a part of me that felt like a fraud, like I shouldn't be there. It was as if my brother robbing two young kids of their mother on Mother's Day invalidated my own grief. Ken's girlfriend had two beautiful children, 'Walter,' 8, and 'Jennifer,' 6, whom I babysat quite often before that tragic day. Through the years I ...

Open primaries, yes; two choices, no By Kelvin Wade May 05, 2010 5:44PM Next month, California voters will have the chance to change the way we conduct elections in this state. Let's hope it doesn't happen. According to the official voter information guide, Proposition 14 'changes the primary election process for congressional, statewide, and legislative races. (It) allows all voters to choose any candidate regardless of the candidate or voter's political party preference.' Open primaries sound like a good idea. I loved voting for John McCain (the original mavericky version, not today's Palin-ized version) in 2000. Who doesn't want to be able to vote for whomever they want regardless of party? But the measure goes on. It allows only the top-two vote getters to appear on the November ballot regardless of their political party. No write-in votes. The measure would also allow candidates to decline to state a party. Proponents see it as a way to end up with more...

Corporate America, Break Yourself By Kelvin Wade Big government isn’t an inherently bad thing. There. I said it. Getting in my car, I’m required to have a current drivers license, a vehicle that’s passed a smog check and auto insurance. I have to wear a seatbelt and can’t talk on a cell phone handset or text while driving. I cannot be intoxicated or have an open container of alcohol in the car. I must drive the speed limit and obey the rules of the road while observing what other drivers are doing. When I need more gas, I have to pay excise taxes on the fuel. And if I violate any rules of the road, I must pay fines. Still, despite all of these rules and regulations, I don’t feel oppressed by an out-of-control government. In fact, when I hit the open road, I feel free, not burdened. Recent events have shown us we need sharper regulatory teeth. How big should government be? Big enough to be the policeman on the corporate beat and lay the smackdown...